Celebrating Spring

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"  ~Robin Williams

With forecasts of another snow storm due to hit the northeast U.S. tonight, I am giddily happy to be living in a warm southwestern state. We are actually experiencing unusually warm temperatures for this time of year.  This is a sign for me to celebrate spring before it quickly segues into summer.  I've decorated my holiday tree for Spring/Easter and am ready to party.

The base of my tree is a bright red and so  I searched for a way to cover it with something more appropriate for spring.  I had some leftover variegated cotton yarn in my stash that had good colors for my theme and found a pattern here on Dottie Angel's blog that I whipped up quickly. And, voila!, my table top is now in party mode.

Yarn Along

I'm joining Ginny at Small Things and her Yarn Along today.  This is what it is all about, in her words:

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading?

 The crocheted granny squares are waiting to be assembled into a tote bag with the purple fabric as a liner.  I got the inspiration for the bag from this pattern and this one and have made my own changes to them to suit my needs. I put this project aside for a while because I was feeling insecure about sewing a lining for the bag.  I've gotten up my nerve and have found a wonderful tutorial here at the future girl craft blog to help me. Hoping to finish it this week.

I am just beginning to read the novel, The Dollmaker, by Harriette Arnow.  It is the April selection to discuss at one of my book clubs.  My sister has read it and highly recommends it.  Too soon for me to tell if I will like it, but one of the blurbs on the back taken from the Georgia Review makes me think that I will:  "The Dollmaker's depiction of family life--the entangled bonds between parents and children, brothers and sisters--is unparalleled in modern fiction."

I've been reading the Yarn Along posts for some time now and enjoying them very much.  Today I decided to stop lurking and join in. Check out the links here to read about what other bloggers are knitting or crocheting and reading.

A Fabulous Giveaway!

No one has ever become poor by giving.~Anne Frank

In that case, Neen should be rolling in riches after this Saturday.  That is when three lucky people will win one of the wonderful prizes she is giving away on her blog, neencrochet. If you recall, I made one of her designs, a Valentine's Wreath, this past February to hang on my front door. She is a talented crocheter, designer, and teacher. I would love to be the recipient of one of her prizes, so probably shouldn't be telling you about how to enter her giveaway, thus reducing my chances of winning. However, I'm trying to be less selfish and spread the word about the goodies she is offering.  You can find the rules for entering the giveaway and pictures of all the prizes here.  Hurry! The drawing is on Saturday, April 2nd.  I've got my fingers crossed.

Finally Some FOs!

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. ~Greg Anderson

I did experience joy in the making of these finished objects (FOs), but I have gotten even more joy from actually finishing them.

I finished my Scrawl on the Wall Shawl several days ago.  I began this shawl in January as a knit-a-long on Ravelry and first posted about it here. It has been my go to project when I needed to relax because it was an easy knit. I'll have to find another project now to relieve my stress.

 

I also started this little Christmas Gnome in January as part of a monthly Christmas ornament knit/crochet-a-long on Ravelry. The free pdf pattern designed by Else Tennessen can be found here.  He is the very first amigurumi project I've ever attempted.  I enjoyed making him so much that I am now addicted.

 

I finished this Starburst Flower square for my grandson's afghan in just two days.  It is the March square for the 2011 Block-a-Month Crochet-a-long I'm participating in on Ravelry.  The pattern can be found for free here.  The talented designer is Donna Mason-Svara, otherwise known as SmoothFox. It is a very well-written pattern and included some stitches that were new to me, so it was very interesting and educational to make.

Now I have to get busy and finish some more projects.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Just remember, during the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, that there's a seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes a rose. ~Leanne Rhimes

Spring has definitely arrived here in the desert and the rose bush we feared would not survive the record cold this past winter is blooming its little heart out.  We planted it last year in a big pot outside the gate to our back yard and mulched it heavily. As you can see, we worried needlessly about its ability to withstand the cold.

It is a Lady Banks' Rose (Rosa banksiae) and it is a climber that generally reaches 10 to 20 feet in height with a 12 to 20 foot spread. It is tolerant of heat so it is a good candidate for our area.  

In Tombstone, which is about 24 miles south of us, there is a Lady Banks' rose that was planted in 1885 and has become something of a tourist attraction in that town. Supported by an ever-expanding trellis, it is now over nine feet tall and covers an area over 8,000 square feet.  I doubt if our sweet little rose ever grows to those proportions, but who knows?  Someday people may come from all over to view our rose.

Birthday Wishes

One may live without bread, not without roses.  ~Jean Richepin

My thoughtful daughter sent me a miniature rose bush in a wooden basket for my birthday. They are yellow roses and my favorite color is yellow. I have been enjoying them as one by one the buds begin to open.  Each blossom seems like another birthday wish from her.  

Let's Go for a Hike

In the American Southwest, I began a lifelong love affair with a pile of rock. ~Edward Abbey

Author and essayist, Edward Abbey, developed a love for the desert Southwest as a park ranger at Arches National Monument (now a national park) in Utah.  His non-fiction work, Desert Solitaire, has been compared to Thoreau's Walden.  It has also been cited as an inspiration for some radical environmental groups. While I may not agree with some of his more controversial views on the development of public lands, I do share his love of this desert environment in which I now live.

This week I went with a group of my friends on a hike through Catalina State Park, located at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson. The sky was a brilliant blue and the scenery was breathtaking. Because our winter was so dry there were only a few, small, purple blooms of verbena instead of the usual display of spring wildflowers, but the numerous majestic saguaros provided a splendid treat for our eyes. For those who think the desert is a barren landscape, I recommend taking a hike in this 5,500 acre park of foothills, canyons, and streams.

Here are a few photos I took on my hike.  See if you don't agree with me that the desert is indeed a place of beauty.

Monthly Check-Up

Energy and persistence alter all things. ~Benjamin Franklin 

A new month has already begun so I am late with my Monthly Check-Up, but there is nothing I can do about that now.  Here is an account of my progress in achieving the goals I set out here for the year:

1. I did use some stash yarn in making two Christmas ornaments, a heart garland, and a cute heart amigurumi, but I also bought some more yarn for the afghan I’m making for my grandson.
2. I did finish four WIPs--the above mentioned Christmas ornaments, heart garland, and heart amigurumi.
3. I did not walk in February. The weather was too cold and I was too lazy.  I do have plans to begin again tomorrow morning.
4. I did stick to the mostly vegan diet most of the month. I succeeded in losing some weight and lowering my blood sugar levels. Need to be more consistent, however, in my eating habits.
5. I did blog and write in my journal regularly.
6. I did not call my parents once a week, but did call them twice in February.
7. I still did not get a new primary care physician.  Hopefully, this month.
8. I did read a piece of classic literature in February (White Fang by Jack London) and I did finish reading January’s selection also (Call of the Wild by Jack London). I am currently reading Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
9. I did not make a baby quilt yet, but I am signed up for a Basic Quilting Class this coming Saturday, March 12^th!
10. I did not make a family photo album for my children yet.  Still haven't looked at all the pictures I have in those 3 big boxes.
11. I did keep in touch through e-mail and some cards with several of my long-distance friends.  

Still just six out of eleven, but I feel like I am making some good progress.  I feel more energized and motivated to stick to my plans and get things accomplished.   

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

These things are fun and fun is good. ~ from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Fun is good and I had lots of fun today. I have been volunteering in my local library by making bookmarks to give out for free to patrons for about two years, but lately I have been filling in when needed as the storyteller lady for the 3-5 year old children on Wednesdays.  Today we had a big celebration in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.  He would have been 107 today. We had many activities for the children: making Cat in the Hat hats; having their picture taken with their hats on in front of a big poster board of the Cat; being silly in various ways as children love to do; and listening to Dr. Seuss stories.  My assignment was to read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I have loved that story since I used to read it to my little sister many, many years ago. The crazy animals and the wonderful rhymes are just what is needed to engage children in the wonder of reading.

Right before I began this post, I was catching up on some of the blogs that I follow regularly and found that I was not the only one mentioning Dr. Seuss in their blog today. Kat, who blogs on Much Ado About Nothing posted a wonderful tribute today to Dr. Seuss here.  She writes about why she loves Dr. Seuss and what he has meant for her in her life.  Her words express how I feel about Dr. Seuss in a way that I never could.  You need to read it!